Steam whistle



Oct. 9, 1945 s. SODERBERG I STEAM WHISTLE i; Sheets-She et '1 Filed June19, 1943 m J mma NE vr ms mm m:

JY/M E x M g ATTORNEYS v 7 Oct. 9, 1945. s. SODERBERG STEAM WHISTLEFiled June 19, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. J'rE/v doofflszfia BY 1W. I" I ATTORNEYS operation of Patented Oct. 9, 1945 UNITED @FFICE 1 I-2,ssc,513' I New Jersey N. J., 'assignor to Leslie N.]J., a corporationof Application June 19,194s, seria11vo.491',4ca

4 Claims. (o1. 116442). i= .1

a This invention relates to fluid operated whistles and moreparticularly to improvementsin di- 1al.1ohragm-operated, steam Whistlesof the jacketed the construction of steam Whistles, a dia phragm ismounted in a horn, and the flow of steam to actuate the diaphragm-incontrolled by a valve. It has been found that better Opel ation isobtained if .thebody of the horn issurrounded by a steam jacket towhich'the'steam is delivered from the source to maintain the di aphragm at adesired temperature regardless of theitemperature to which the exteriorof the whistle is subjected in use, as on a boat, arail way locomotive.or the like. In the; construction of jacketed steam whistleaheretofore;the valvehas been arranged in the body ofithe horn and thisvalvecontrols communication between the a steam jacket and the diaphragm, topermit operation of the whistle. Such construction hasv been highlysatisfactory and. has given desired results when the whistle-has beenmade of metals oralloys that areeasily workable. v Q

- In the present invention, I have provided a fluid operated whistle ofthe jacketed type of, a more simple construction, which facilitates manufacture and also provides greater accessibilityof theparts for purposeof repair; or replacement: One of the'features of my improved whistle isthe arrangement ofthe valve in a separate casing fromthe' body of thewhistle. The" body ofthe whistle isprovided with a steam jacket, asheretofore, and this jacket communicates a'pas= sageextendingthroughthe' exterior of the body; A'second passage is arrangedadjacent'thefirst passage and the second passage communicates With'the"diaphragm. The valve to control the passage of steam from the steamjacket tothe diaphragm isarra'nged'ina separate chamber adapted tobe-secured to the body of the whistle and having inlet and outletpassages forming continuationsof the passages: in the body when the twoparts are assembled.

A further feature" of the invention is the ar rangement of the valvemechanism ma separate casing which communicates with the steam jacketata pointremote from the delivery (if steam to the jacket. "When' thesteam for the a diaphragmi's drawn directly from the supplylinejthere'is' atendency to trap-any water of condensation that maybe inthesupply line in the steamand the efiec't-mightbe iiijurious'" to thediaphragm; 'B'y deiiveringsteam to" the steamjacket, whichisprdviddwitli'a min for condensed steam, and withdrawing the steam from thesteamjacket through the valve casing at a point remote from, the deliverypoint,

the possibilityof deliverying water of condensation tothe diaphragm, inadmixture with the steam, is reduced to a-minimum. V

Aiurther improvement forming a part of my invention is inthe means'formounting and ad= iusting the diaphragm; Heretoforethe diaphragm hasbeen held in'positionbyathreaded cap adapted to engage threads formed ona'portion of the casing: Various means have been provided for-retaining.the cap in adjusted posi-- tion to exert the proper force on thediaphragm and hold-itunder the-proper tension: Wear on thethreads'hashowever required adjustment of the diaphragm after thediaphragm-has been. in service. In the present invention, I provide anend cap adapted to-be bolted-to the'casing or body of the whistle;having-a-spider formed thereon carrying'an internally; threadedopening.-- A plate is mounted within thecasing and engages the diaphragmto hold it in position under proper ten= sion. This plate is providedwith a'stud which is receivedin the internally, threaded opening carriedbythe spider. One of' the-armsoi the spider is slotted and isprovided"with a'clamping'bolt to permitthe internally threaded opening to becontracted after 'the studhas: been adjusted to retain-the parts-inadjusted position. In the accompanying drawings I have shown oneembodiment of the invention;- Iii-this show-v Fig. his a central,longitudinah sectional view;

and. l' M .m. Fig. 2isan endelevation.--

Re'ferring'to the drawings, the reference numeral rdesignates the bodyportion of the whistle. Instead of making the entire horn of a singlecasting, as heretofore,- thebody portion l is of a length sufficient toinclude the steam jacket, the diaphragm chamber and the communicatingpassages, The outer flared end 2'otthe horn is formed; ofaseparatecasting.- This flaredend is provided with a flange hand the endwall 4 of the body portion-is arranged normal-to the axis oi the horn topermit assembly of the two sections. The end member is secured to the"horn by bolts 5 and nuts 6. -One of the advantages of the simplifiedconstruction"resides'in' the formation of the body I and theend member 2inseparate sections.- 'Heretofore in casting the body of the whistle ina single pie'ce'it' was necessary to provide openings which receive careprints during the' casting'operation and which had to be later closedhy'threaded plugs. constructing the whistle of the present invention, Iarrange the core prints so that they form openings I in the end wall 4.A gasket 8 is arranged between the end wall 4 and the flange 3 therebymaking it unnecessary to plug the opening I.

The body I of the horn is surrounded by a jacket or steam chamber 9formed by an outer wall I surrounding the body portion I. This steamjacket is provided with an inlet I I and with an outlet I2, preferablyarranged at the lowest point to permit drainage of condensed steam. Abaflle I3 may be arranged in the steam jacket to separate any moisturefrom the steam delivered from the inlet.

The jacket is provided with a passage I4 extending through the exteriorwall and adjacent the passage I4 I provide a second passage I5 extendingto the rear of the body or casing. The passage I5 extends through thewall I and terminates at I6 adjacent the rear of the casing andsubstantially centrally thereof.

A valve casing I! is secured to the main casing adjacent the ends of thepassages I4 and I5 and is provided with an inlet passage I8vcommunicating with the passage I4 and an outlet passage I9 communicatingwith the passage I5. The valve structure may be conventional, comprisinga valve seat arranged between the inlet passage I8 and the outletpassage I9 and a valve member 2I cooperating therewith. The valve casingis closed by a bonnet 22 carrying a sleeve 23 on its inner face toreceive the valve stem 23. Coil spring 24 normally retains the valve inclosed position. Valve stem 25 projects from the opposite side of thecasin into proximity to an operating lever 26. The operating leveris'provided with a toe or projection 2'! and is pivotally mounted at 28on the valve casing. When the operating lever 26 is swung onits pivot bythe conventional means (not shown) the valve is opened to permit steamto pass from the jacket '9 to the passage I5.

vA diaphragm '30 is arranged in the casing ad- .iacent the end I6 of thesteam passage I5. This diaphragm may be of any desired construction butis preferably formed of several laminations and is normally convex onits inner face. When the diaphragm is placed in position, pressure isexerted on its periphery to flatten it and place it under propertension. As shown, the rear end of the casing is provided with asubstantially cylindrical portion 3I against which the di a-' phragmsits and the proper tension is placed on the diaphragm by a tensioningplate 32, the outer edge of which is flanged as at 33 to engagethe edgeportion of the diaphragm. This plate is arranged within a cover member'34 which is secured to a flange 35 on the end of the casing by bolts36. The cover plate is provided with a central opening throu h which athreaded stud 31. carried by the tension plate 32, extends. A pair ofarms 38 are secured to the cover plate. extending across the cover plateat an angle to the plane thereof. These arms terminate in a sleevelikemember 39 havin a threaded opening to receive the stud 31. One of thearms is slotted as at 40 (see Fi 2). A bolt 41 extends through openingsbetween the two portions 42 on each side of the slot and the bolt isprovided with a nut 43 on its end. The tension plate 32 is adjusted byrotatin the stud 31 in the threaded opening 39'. the' stud being rovidedwith a squared end 44 for the reception of a wrench or other operatingtool. After the diaphragm has been adjusted, the bolt 4| may betightened to contract the slot 40 and thus cause firmer engagementbetween the stud 31 and the threaded opening. The tension plate may beprovided with an opening 46 to permit escape of any steam leaking aroundthe edge of the diaphragm. On the operating side of the diaphragm thecasing is provided with a passage 41 through which steam deliveredthrough the passage I5 passes into the body portion of the whistle andis exhausted in the usual manner.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoingdescription and the simplicity of the construction will also beapparent. Steam is delivered to the steam jacket 3 through the inletpassage I I from a suitable source of supply, and condensate is drainedfrom the jacket through the drainage pipe I2. Steam in the jacketretains the whistle at an elevated temperature and therefore preventsvariations in the operation of the whistle due to the effect oftemperature changes on the diaphragm. The whistle may be actuated byhand operated lever 26. When the valve 2| is moved from its seat, steamfrom the steam jacket flows through passages I4, I8, I 9 and I5 intocontact with the diaphragm to vibrate it and cause the production ofsound. Most of the steam escapes through the passage 41 into the centralportion of the body and then to the atmosphere. .Any steam which leaksaround the diaphragm flows through the passage 46 into the space betweenthe tension plate 32 and the cover plate 34 and is exhausted therefromto atmosphere through a suitable vent (not shown).

When the whistle is to be assembled, the diaphragm is placed in positionand, in its original form, it is flexed or bent so that the inner sideis convex. The flange 33 of the tension plate 32 engages the edge of thediaphragm and as this plate is adjusted, it places the diaphragm undertension by flattening it if the diaphragm is the type that is originallycurved in cross section or by distorting it into a curved cross sectionif it is originally flat. In normal position, the inner face ofthe'diaphragm contacts with the end of the passage I5. After thediaphragm has been properly adjusted, nut 43 is tightened on bolt 4|,contractingthe slot 40 in the arm '38 and'at the'same time contractingthe threaded opening in the sleeve 39 through which the stud 31 passes.If adjustment of the diaphragm is required at any time, the nut 43 maybe loosened which will then permit the stud-31 to be rotated in thethreaded opening in the sleeve 39 to move 5 thetension plate toward oraway from the di- 0 from being delivered to the diaphragm. Any

such condensate strikes against the baflle I3 and is thrown'toward theforward part of' the body portion I whence it eventually collects on thebottom of the steam jacket and is discharged through the drain I2.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the fluidoperated whistle of the present invention is of a much'moresimpleconstruction than the constructions heretofore employed. Frequently inuse such whistles are arranged at relatively inaccessible places. suchas on the side of'a stack,' and when it is necessary to repair orreplace parts, difficulties are presented if the valve and valveparts-have ,tobe removed from the casing to'obtain access to them. Withthe present construction it will be apparent that the entire valvecasing can be removed from the body portion and then taken to a moreconvenient place for making repairs or replacements of the valve parts.

I claim:

1. A steam whistle comprising a horn, a steam jacket surrounding thehorn, the jacket being provided with an inlet opening and an outletopening, a valve casing arranged adjacent the whistle, the steam jacketbeing providedwith a passage connected to the valve casing at a pointremote from the inlet opening of the steam jacket, a valve in thecasing, and a diaphragm mounted in the body portion of the whistleadjacent the rear end of the horn, the body portion of the whistle beingprovided with a passage connected to the valve casing and extending tothe diaphragm whereby steam for the operation of the diaphragm iswithdrawn from the steam jacket through the valve casing and deliveredto the diaphragm through the last mentioned passage.

2. A steam whistle comprising a horn, a steam jacket surrounding thehorn, the steam jacket being provided with an inlet and an outlet, avalve casing arranged adjacent the whistle, a

valve in the casing, a diaphragm mounted in the body portion of thewhistle adjacent the rear of the horn, the steam jacket being providedwith a passage remote from the inlet opening andvcommunicating with thevalve casing, the body portion of the whistle being provided with apassage connected to the valve casing and. extending to the diaphragm. I

3. A steam whistle comprising a horn, a steam jacket surrounding thehorn, a valve casing arranged adjacent the whistle, a valve in thecasing, a diaphragm mounted in the body portion of the whistle adjacentthe rear end of the horn, and passages between thesteam jacket, thevalve casing and body portion to deliver steam to the diaphragm from thesteam jacket, the passage from the steam jacket to the valve casingbeing remote from the inlet opening of the steam jacket.

4. A steam whistle comprising .a horn, a steam jacket surrounding thehorn, a valve casing arranged adjacent the whistle, a valve in thecasing, a diaphragm mounted in the body portion of the whistle adjacentthe rear end of the horn, passages between the steam jacket, the valvecasing and body portion to deliver steam to the diaphragm from the steamjacket, the passage from the steam jacket to the valve casing beingremote from the inlet opening of the steam jacket; and a baiile in thesteam jacket arranged to prevent direct passage from the inlet of thesteam jacket to the valve casing.

STEN SODERBERG.

